Beginning

14 In Iconium Paul and Barnabas did as they had done before in other places. They went into the Jews' meeting place and spoke. Many of the Jews and the other people believed.

² But the Jews who did not believe said wrong things about them. They spoiled the minds of those who were not Jews so that they hated the Christians.

³ Paul and Barnabas stayed there a long time anyway. They did not fear to talk about the Lord. The Lord proved that the message about his blessing was true. He worked through Paul and Barnabas. They did signs and wonderful things.

⁴ The people of the city were divided. Some of them agreed with the Jewish leaders. Some of them agreed with the apostles.

⁵ Then some of those people who were not Jews joined together with the Jews and their leaders. They made a plan to give the apostles much trouble and to kill them with stones.

⁶ Paul and Barnabas found out about this. So they left quickly. They went to Lystra and Derbe in the district of Lycaonia and the country around.

⁷ There they told people the good news.

⁸ At Lystra a man was sitting. He was not able to walk because he had no strength in his feet. He had never walked since he was born.

⁹ This man heard Paul speak. Paul looked at the man. He saw that the man believed he would be healed.

¹⁰ Paul said, `Stand up on your feet!' The man jumped up and walked.

¹¹ When the people saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their own language, `The gods have become like men! They have come down to visit us.'

¹² They named Barnabas, Jupiter. And they named Paul, Mercury, because he was the one who talked.

¹³ There was a temple of Jupiter in front of the city. The priest of the temple brought animals and flowers to the gates to make a sacrifice. All the people were with him.

¹⁴ But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes and ran in among the people shouting.

¹⁵ They said, `Why are you people doing this? We are only men like you. You should leave these gods which cannot help you. You should turn to the living God. He made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.

¹⁶ In the time that is past, God allowed all people to do what they wanted to do.

¹⁷ But even then he had some ways to make himself known. He did things that were good. He gave us rain from the sky and good harvests. And he gives you all the food you need and makes you very happy. Surely these things speak for him.'

¹⁸ By saying these things they stopped the people from making sacrifices to them.

¹⁹ Some of the Jewish leaders from Antioch and Iconium came to Lystra and won the people to their side. They threw stones at Paul. Then they carried him out of the city because they thought he was dead.

²⁰ But as the disciples gathered around him, he got up and they went back into the city. The next day Paul and Barnabas left and went to Derbe.

²¹ They told the good news to the people in Derbe. Many people believed what they taught. Then they went back to Lystra, to Iconium. and to Antioch.

²² They talked to the disciples to help them. They told them to keep on believing. They said, `We must go through much trouble to get into God's kingdom.'

²³ They chose leaders for them in every church. They talked with God and fasted. When they were finished, they gave the leaders over to the Lord's care, because they believed in him.

²⁴ They went through the district of Pisidia to Pamphylia.

²⁵ They told the good news to the people in Perga. Then they went to the town of Attalia.

²⁶ From there they went in a boat to Antioch. It was there that the people had given them over to God's care. They had asked him to bless them in this work. Now they had finished the work.

²⁷ When they reached the city, they called all the church people together. They told them all that God had done for them. They said, `Now God has opened the way to believe for those who are not Jews.'

²⁸ Paul and Barnabas stayed a long time with the disciples at Antioch.

15 Some men came from Judea and taught the Christian brothers. They said, `You must be circumcised with the mark made on your body in the way Moses taught us. If you are not circumcised you cannot be saved.'

² Paul and Barnabas did not agree with them. There was much talking about it. Then they decided that Paul and Barnabas and some of the other men should go to Jerusalem. They would ask the apostles and church leaders there about it.

³ So the church people sent them on their way. They passed through the districts of Phoenicia and Samaria. They told them that some who were not Jews were believing in God. This news made all the Christian brothers very happy.

⁴ When they reached Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church people, the apostles, and the church leaders. They told all that God had done as he worked with them.

⁵ But some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee group stood up and said, `They must be circumcised [like the Jews]. We must tell them to keep all the laws of Moses.'

⁶ The apostles and the church leaders met together to talk the matter over.

⁷ After much talking about it, Peter stood up. He said, `Men and brothers, you know what happened in the first days. God chose me to tell the good news to those who are not Jews. They believed.

⁸ God knows what is in a person's heart. He proved that they believed. He gave them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us.

⁹ God made no difference between them and us. He made their hearts clean when they believed.

¹⁰ So now why are you doing what God did not do? You give the disciples a hard thing to do. Our fathers could not do it. And we cannot do it.

¹¹ We believe that the Lord Jesus saves us because he is kind. And that is why he saves them.'

¹² Then all the people stopped talking. They listened to what Paul and Barnabas had to say. They told them about all the signs and wonderful things that God had helped them to do among the people who were not Jews.

¹³ When they had finished talking, James said, `Men and brothers, listen to me.

¹⁴ Simeon has told us how God came the first time to the people who are not Jews. God chose some of them to belong to him and be his people.

¹⁵ This is what the prophets of God said long ago.

¹⁶ They said, "After this, I will come back and build up again the house of David which has fallen down. I will take the broken pieces and build a house again.

¹⁷ Then all the other people will find God, even those who are not Jews but who belong to me. So says the Lord, who is doing all these things."

¹⁸ `He told us these things long ago.

¹⁹ So now, this is what I think. We should not trouble those who are not Jews but who have turned to God.

²⁰ We should write them a letter and tell them what they must not do. They must not eat food that has been given to idols. They must not have sex with someone who is not their husband or wife. They must not eat the meat of animals that are killed by choking. They must not taste blood.

²¹ Since the times of long ago there have been men who told about Moses in every city. They read his laws in the meeting places every Sabbath day.'

²² Then the apostles, and the leaders, and all the church people chose men from among themselves. They sent them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas, whose other name was Barsabbas, and Silas. They were leaders among the Christian brothers.

²³ They sent a letter with them. It said, `The apostles, the church leaders, and the Christian brothers send greetings to the Christians who are not Jews in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

²⁴ We have heard that some of our people visited you and talked to you. They taught things that troubled you and made you believe wrong things. They said, "You must be circumcised like the Jews and keep the law." We did not tell them to teach you this.

²⁵ All of us gathered here have chosen some men. We are sending them with our dear brothers, Barnabas and Paul.

²⁶ Barnabas and Paul have been willing to die for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷ We are sending Judas and Silas. They will tell you the same things that we have written in the letter.

²⁸ The Holy Spirit and we thought it was not good to give you a hard thing to do. But here is what you must not do.

²⁹ You must not eat food that has been given to idols. You must not eat the meat of animals that are killed by choking. You must not taste blood. You must not commit adultery. If you keep away from these things, you will do well. Goodbye.'

³⁰ So the men left and went to Antioch. There they called the people together and gave them the letter.

³¹ When the people read the letter, they were very glad. It helped them to become stronger in what they believed.

³² Judas and Silas were prophets. They said many things to the Christian brothers and helped them to believe more strongly.

³³ They stayed there for a while. Then the brothers sent them back to those who had sent them. They sent a greeting of peace with them.

³⁴ But Silas thought it was good to stay at Antioch.

³⁵ Paul and Barnabas stayed there too. They taught the people and told them the Lord's message. Many other men did this also.

³⁶ Some days later, Paul said to Barnabas, `Let us go back and visit the brothers in every city where we have told the Lord's message. Let us see how they are doing.'

³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them.

³⁸ But Paul did not think that they should take him. John Mark had left them when they were at Pamphylia. He had not gone along with them to do the work.

³⁹ The feeling about this matter was very strong between Barnabas and Paul, so they did not go together. Barnabas took Mark and went in a boat to Cyprus.

⁴⁰ Paul chose Silas. The Christian brothers asked the Lord to bless Paul. Then he went on his way.

⁴¹ Paul travelled through Syria and Cilicia. He helped the church people to believe more strongly.